Great Teachers

            Every student can understand that if they are not encouraged to do well, they most likely will not even try to succeed.  Teachers come into play here as they try their best to motivate students to not only do well in school but to enjoy learning and gaining knowledge.  This is why keeping students motived is one of a teacher’s most important jobs.  To become a successful teacher, it is important to not only know a lot about what they are teaching, but also to have a passion for it so that his or her students may also grow a passion for the subject as well.

            As I did my blog, some tips of keeping students motivated were provided for me such as expecting excellence from your students (Condron).  If students were expected to fail, they would have no reason to try.  They would not have any goals and would just try to do as little as possible to slide by.  Students need to be given opportunities to succeed also.  Students stay motivated if they are pushed to succeed and do well.  Another way to keep students motivated is for a teacher to get to know them on a personal level so that he or she is able to know what the student enjoys learning or how they learn (Simple para. 3).  This will keep most students motivated because of the personal connection with their teacher.  They will want to impress their teacher because their teacher who will expect excellence from them. Creating a passion for students is a very important job as a teacher and they need to learn how to this.  Being able to find these tips and new ideas is a way that a teacher can stay on top of their job, and is able to be a great teacher for his or her students.

            Luckily in this time, getting new techniques is very easy for anyone.  The Internet is always there to share information with anyone who wants it.  Teachers are able to find many different ways and different ideas to keep or get their students motivated.  Along with the Internet, there are also many classes or conventions that teachers can attend.  They receive the help that they need to improve their skills as a teacher so that they can be the best one possible.  Being able to constantly get new information is very important.  Since every student is different and needs a different kind of attention, it is important for teachers to get as much information as possible.  They need to be able to teach any student and keep them motivated to learn and do well in school.

            Doing research on being a teacher has really helped in getting a feel for what its like to be a teacher.  Reading about all the tips and ideas of what it takes to be a great teacher really encourages me to be a great one.  I will continue to do research on the new tips and ideas that come around about being a teacher even when I already become a teacher.  This experience has also helped me to understand how important it is to keep your students motivated as a teacher.  Teaching lazy students who do not want to work would not be enjoyable and even more importantly, students need to stay motivated so that they can learn properly and learn to keep themselves motivated in the future so that they are able to succeed.

            Keeping students motivated is a teacher’s most important job.  Teachers should be able to make their student want to learn and enjoy learning.  They should want to gain knowledge so that they can succeed, and know that to succeed they need to obtain some knowledge.  An important key to keeping students motivated is to know how to do it.  Teachers are able to search the web and go to classes to keep up to date the best ways to get students motivated and they need to take advantage of these opportunities so that they are the best teacher that they can be.

Sources:

Condron, Annie. "12 Ways to Motivate Students." K-12 News, Lessons & Shared Resources By Teachers, For Teachers. K-12 Teachers Alliance, 2012. Web. 9 Oct. 2012.
"Simple But Effective Ways to be A Great Teacher." Squidoo. LLC, 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012

Games to Learn

A new way the children are learning is by games on the iPod touch, iPad or iPhone.  People are creating games that create a learning experience for kids.  In the article, "10 First Grade Apps Kids Need," it names the top 10 apps that parents should get for their kids (Munoz).  It includes apps like "Sids Science Fair" which teaches kids about science.  These are interesting and different ways for kids to learn instead of learning from a teacher in the classroom.  Even though these games probably have limits to how much it can actually teach kids, it could get them interested in the subjects.  They could create a passion for the subjects.  I think it is important for kids to learn in the classroom but I also think it doesn't hurt to provide other opportunities for them to learn.  Especially opportunities that they enjoy doing instead of being forced to.
It is good for teachers to know about these different games as well as parents so that they can provide every way possible for students to learn.

Source:
Munoz, Roberta. "10 First Grade Apps Kids Need." Education.com. Education.com, Inc., 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

A Remix

There are many different forms that someone can produce information to get it out in public.  In my blog I have for the most part only found articles done by teachers but there also could be videos and other ways to get the same informations that actually might be interesting.  Kidsknowit.com is one of those other sources. This site provided different activities for kids to use to learn topics in school.  Using this kind of learning could be just as useful as other ways to some students.  Some students might even learn better this way.
The revision of this website makes a teacher think of different ways to teach their students like in games or other activities.  Teacher could also use the games as a guide to create their own ways of teaching their students.  The arrangement is different kinds of games in different subjects that a kid could click on or play or a teacher to play to find a new understanding of how a child would understand that topic. The invention of this website is producing different ways and ideas to teacher students subjects in school.  The website comes up with different games that can help a student learn.  The delivery is very interesting with all the different pictures and how they provide information in game form for students to learn.  The style is very simple so that kids are able to understand and use the site without a lot of help from their parents.  It is important that kids do some things on their own without help.
The purpose of this site is to help some kids that have difficulty learning in the classroom, a chance to learn in a different way.  It is also a chance for teacher to get new ideas to keep students interested in learning.  This site works very well in a the way it can get kids attention and provide them with different ways to learn.

Source:
The Totally Free Children's Learning Network. Kids Know it Network, 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

Understand Math

Basic math is important to anyone in their daily life.  It can be used everyday.  To some people, math goes even farther and they must know more about it.  But it is impossible to go deeper into mathematics without knowing the basics.  The article, "Learning Mathematics," stresses the fact that young children need to be taught the basics of math such as adding and subtracting very well (Learning 1).  They need to understand it, or else moving on to more difficult concepts will never work.  Learning all about math takes steps and without a sturdy foundation children will struggle in the future.

Seeing that I would like to be a math teacher eventually, I am going to have to make sure that all my students know all the basics such as adding and subtracting as well as multiplication and division.  I want to teach algebra, so without this basic knowledge, it will be very difficult for me to teach these students.  Basic math is important and without it, students will not be able to succeed in school as they get older.

Sources:

"Learning Mathematics." Education Articles. Education Articles, 2012. Web. 5 November 2012

Importance of Great Teachers

Bill Cosby showed up to Booker T. Washington's Nathan E. Harris Field house late in September to talk to some students about the importance of education.  He spoke about how important teachers and administrators are to every community (Plummer 4).  Teachers have a very important job, not only to teach students but also to make sure students have goals and ambitions.  Teachers need to be motivators to their students, giving them all the tools they need to succeed.
Cosby also talked about how we can not blame the decline of want in eduction in the children, but it is the community around them that is the cause (Plummer 6).  It is not the children themselves that are to blame, but everything that goes on around them.  Their community is a very big influence on all the decisions they make and how they act.  The children of this generation are different from the past but its because of everything that goes on around them.  Children need good teachers that keep them motivated to try hard in school and strive to succeed in whatever they want to do.  With out these types of teachers, eduction will continue to decline in future generations as well.

Sources:
Plummer, Sara. "Bill Cosby Stresses the Importance of Eduction in Speech at Booker T. Washington." Tulsa World. World Publishing Company, 2012. Web. 4 Oct. 2012.

"Teacher Amnesia"

One of the the disadvantages of teaching is the stress it puts on the teachers.  Teachers feel responsible for the progress their students are making.  Joe Brooks, in his article "Don't Get Teacher Amnesia," calls this teacher Amnesia (Brooks para. 2).  Being a teacher can be very stressful and teachers become very hard on themselves.  The article explains how it almost seems like teaching causes someone to age faster than the average person (Brooks para. 2).  Teachers tough task of teaching young kids, is difficult to put on one person.
Teaching can also keep someone very young at heart (Brooks para. 2).  Being around young people all the time, helps people stay in touch with their young side.  Teachers have to stay in touch with their young side in order be a successful teacher.  A good teacher knows what their students are thinking and what they want.  With out thinking like a student they would not be able to get through to their students and would never be a good teacher.

Sources:
Brooks, Joe. "Don't Get Teacher Amnesia." New Teacher Success Begins Here!. LDH Technology. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.

Hands on Experience

I have been wanting to be a teacher since I started high school.  Since I had always wanted this, over the summer I was asked to tudor my cousin in math, the exact subject I want to teach.  This hands on experience is so much different than learning or hearing about it.  I got the chance to experience what it is like to teacher the exact subject and age that I am hoping to teach in the future.  I went through the frustrations that teachers go through everyday, as well as the satisfaction of making a difference in the students life.  Even though this is not exactly what it is like to have a full class of students who most likely do not want to be there, I got a good taste of the teaching experience.  This experience only makes me more excited to one day have my own class of students and help them to learn something new and help them grow as students.